One had to pay a fee to enter the city. It wasn't fixed, but based on the goods one brought, a certain percentage would be taken.
Who would have thought that this method of collecting taxes based on proportion existed in the early days of the Desolate Age. The more one brought, the more one had to pay. The less one brought, the less one had to pay. If one didn't bring, then they didn't pay. It was pretty good.
Regardless of whether the goods were for personal use or for sale, they had to be paid. When Gu Zheng and the others entered the city, there weren't many things left in the carriage. Most of them had been exchanged for silver at Longhu Town. They paid a little. There was no head tax here, but the carriage had to pay a tax. Wu You took out some silver and sent them away.
However, the ivory and bone products had to be taxed. The guards at the door had sharp eyes and recognized that they were good stuff. Gu Zheng didn't care and threw the ivory to them as a tax.
After entering the city, whether it was Aunt Cui, Wu You, or Mado's people, they all became like Granny Liu who was entering the Grand View Garden for the first time. They didn't have enough eyes and looked everywhere, especially the various shops on both sides of the street. They were dazzled.
This city was not bad. It was surrounded by two-story buildings. Some of them were three-story and even four-story buildings.
"Wu You, find an inn to stay in first!"
They weren't in a hurry. When they arrived, it was already afternoon. According to Gu Zheng's plan, he wanted to buy a house here to stay. Seeing that it was going to be dark soon, they could only stay in an inn.
According to Gu Zheng's plan, he would have to stay in this inn for a few days. Buying a house wasn't an easy matter. He definitely wouldn't want an ordinary house. Since he planned to stay here temporarily, then he would have to choose a better house. It would be good to choose.
There were eleven people in the group, and many of them unnaturally treated Wu You and many others as the leaders. No one would have thought that the main source of food was a very cute four-year-old child.
They still booked three rooms. When they booked the rooms, Wu You was still shaking his head. The rooms here were much more expensive than in Longhu Town. It was at least three times more expensive. However, the living conditions were also much better than in Longhu Town.
"Young Master, this is the Prefecture City? It's so big!"
After getting a room, Gu Zheng brought them out for a walk. Wu You walked beside Gu Zheng and sighed.
"That's right. I didn't know that the prefectural city was so big. No wonder people who have been here before say that if they don't go to the prefectural city once in their lives, they would have wasted their lives!"
Aunt Cui was also sighing. Everything around her was new and exciting to her. At the same time, she was also a little scared. This place was too unfamiliar. It was completely different from the village she used to live in. She didn't know what to do.
If it weren't for Gu Zheng and the others, she would have hidden in a corner and not dared to come out.
"This city can only be considered average. There are even bigger ones!"
Gu Zheng smiled faintly. The prefecture city was large, which meant that there would be more resources. This was a good thing for him, as it was much better than the big market. Every day, there would be a big market. Here, he would be able to buy more things that he needed.
Although he had two powerful treasures in his hands, his strength was still too weak. He could live in seclusion here and cultivate until he reached a certain level. It would be best if he could reach the level of Jin Xian before he went out.
He didn't know if there were other big cities in other places, so he could only live here for now.
"There are even bigger ones. Heavens, how big are they?!"
Wu You cried out in shock. He didn't dare to imagine what a city bigger than the prefectural city would look like. This time, Gu Zheng didn't say anything. Not only were there many bigger cities in the wilderness, there were also some on Earth in the future. They would faint from fright if they saw a modern metropolis with tens of millions of people.
However, Gu Zheng didn't laugh at them. It was normal for them to react this way. He was also shocked when he saw the main peak of Mount Shu for the first time.
As the sky gradually darkened, many shops began to light up their entrances. Soon, the stench of oil filled the entire street. These shops were using oil lamps, and the oil was not of good quality. There was an unpleasant smell to it.
However, the people here were already used to it. No one cared.
On the other hand, Wu You and the others opened their mouths wide. They had never seen a night market like this. No matter where they were, they would go to sleep as soon as the sky turned dark. However, there were still many shops open at night. Especially with so many lamps lit up, it made them feel like they were in a fairyland.
"Let's go there and eat something!"
Gu Zheng pointed to a big restaurant and led the group of dumbfounded people in. They were only like this today. After a long time, they would get used to it.
There were still many people visiting. The eleven of them found a big table in the hall and sat down. Then, Wu You went to order and had a simple dinner.
The food here could only be said to be ordinary. However, the ingredients were okay and there were some cooking skills. However, it was far worse than Gu Zheng's own cooking. Gu Zheng suddenly thought that if he opened a restaurant here, would the business be better?
There was no doubt that the dishes he made would definitely be popular. Unfortunately, he didn't have the time. The most important thing for him now was to cultivate. He could only think about it. When he was interested, he would cook some for his own people.
"Young Master, will we live here in the future?"
After eating, Wu You couldn't help but ask again. Mado and the others were also looking at Gu Zheng. Since Wu You was lifted from the restriction, he and Mado called him Young Master instead of Master.
Master was a slave, and Young Master was a servant.
"Yes, we will live here temporarily. I don't dare to say for how long, but if you want to live here, you can always live here!"
Gu Zheng nodded. Wu You and the others were obviously excited. It would be a blessing to live in such a good place forever.
Yesterday at Dragon Lake Town, they were still sighing about how big it was. Today, they arrived at the prefectural city. No wonder people there also yearned for the prefectural city. The prefectural city was really big and couldn't be compared.
"You can live here for a long time, but there are a few places you can't go!"
After returning to the inn, Gu Zheng called everyone over and gave them instructions. He had already made a simple observation just now. This city was not much different from the cities of the later generations of the Desolate Era. The only difference was that there were not as many types of goods as there were in the later generations of the Desolate Era.
"Young Master, please tell us. We definitely won't go!"
Mado was the first to stand up and express his obedience. The others also said the same thing.
"The first place is a gambling den!"
There were gambling dens here. Gu Zheng had already noticed one. The gambling method was very simple, but it was gambling after all. Gu Zheng understood the consequences of gambling addiction. If one really entered a gambling den and became addicted, then one would be crippled.
"What is a gambling den?"
One of Mado's subordinates asked foolishly. They didn't know what a gambling den was. Gu Zheng briefly explained the situation of the gambling den. It was good that they didn't know. This way, after he banned them, they wouldn't try it again.
"The second place is a military camp!"
Gu Zheng said the second place. There were professional soldiers and a military camp. Gu Zheng didn't know how well the military camp was guarded, but it definitely wasn't a place that could be entered casually. If they entered, Gu Zheng had a way to rescue them. However, it would be troublesome and they might even be at a disadvantage.
This wasn't Gu Zheng's groundless worry. These people had never entered a city before and were curious about it. If they didn't know the rules here and ran around, they might be at a disadvantage. The military camps in the prehistoric cities had a special characteristic. Unlike on Earth, where there were courtyards between them, this place was just a layer of fence. This was the same for the prehistoric cities in the future.
This time, Wu You was the first to agree. He understood, so did Mado. The others didn't know, but now they knew.
"The third place is a brothel!"
Gu Zheng thought for a while and said it. This city actually had a brothel, which surprised Gu Zheng. It seemed that this was an ancient industry. They didn't know what a brothel was. After Gu Zheng's explanation, Aunt Cui and the others blushed. They cursed and left.
"If you want a woman, sure. If you like someone, I'll marry her. I won't let you go to the brothel now because you can't resist the temptation inside. Let's set a time limit. Five years. After five years, I won't care about you!"
A brothel was a fatal attraction to young chicks like them. They could also fall in love. If any of them fell in love, then he would have a headache. He didn't have the energy to care about these things.
It was better to take precautions than to say it first.
In five years, they would be stable. With his help, it wouldn't be difficult to start a family. At that time, there would be someone to take care of them. Even if they couldn't be controlled, at least they wouldn't be attracted to the brothel and wouldn't cause any trouble.
Five years was also the time Gu Zheng gave himself.
He didn't know how long it would take for him to cultivate to Jin Xian, but he hoped that it wouldn't take too long. Five years would be the best, and at the latest, ten years. Within ten years, he would strive to enter the Jin Xian Realm. Only then would he have the capital to roam the Untainted Land.
Jin Xian wasn't. When he encountered those big shots, he could only run for his life.
There was another point. After ten years, even if he had grown up, he would still be young. At least he wouldn't look like a child anymore.
This speed wasn't faster than his cultivation in the past. However, at that time, he was rich in resources. He had never stopped consuming Immortal Essence Pills, various food cultivation aids, and more resources. Now, he was poor. It was already very fast for him to be able to cultivate in such a short time.
Now, he hadn't even reached the Celestial Immortal Realm.
Everyone agreed to Gu Zheng's three requests. To them, these places were very strange. If they didn't go, then they wouldn't go. There were too many places left that they wanted to go.
With curiosity and excitement about the prefecture city, except for Gu Zheng and Taotie, everyone went to bed very late. As a result, they all had panda eyes the next day.
Their appearance made Gu Zheng shake his head constantly.
"Wu You, find a place to sell the carriage and horses. Other than the little white dragon, sell everything else that can be sold. Wang San, Wang Wu, you two go with Wu You!"
For the time being, they were going to live in the city. There was no need for the carriage. There was also the remaining ivory, some beast bones, fur, and so on. These were not needed for the time being. They could be exchanged for silver to buy a house.
Wang San and Wang Wu were two bandits who followed Mado. They were biological brothers. The two of them were the third and fifth brothers. Unfortunately, the rest of the family had died, leaving only the two of them.
Many of the bandits were in this situation. Unless it was a last resort, who would be willing to be a bandit?
"Yes, Young Master!"
Wu You immediately agreed. Gu Zheng wasn't worried that he would sell the goods too cheaply. This brat was born to do business. He knew how to compare goods without a teacher. He also knew how to haggle and raise prices. He was the most suitable person to do these things.
"Aunt Cui, you two stay in the inn, but don't stay in the room. Stay outside and listen in on other people's conversations. If they talk about the Five Great Clans and An Family in the prefecture city, record it down. If they talk about the other great clans, record it down as well!"
After Wu You and the others left, Gu Zheng instructed Aunt Cui and the other two women. They didn't need to go out. They just needed to stay here and gather some information. Gu Zheng wanted to know about the person in charge of the prefecture city, An Family's attitude, and the situation of the other great clans.
After all, he would be staying here for a long time. Gu Zheng wasn't afraid of trouble, but he didn't like it either. It was good to know more.
"Mado, you take the others and follow us out. We're going to look for a house!"
Looking for a house. He had to find a suitable house. Gu Zheng planned to look for one himself first. If he couldn't find one, he would let Mado and the others go. They could walk around and familiarize themselves with the roads of the city.
Two children and three adults walked on the street. They didn't look like they were from a great clan. Mado and the others were dressed too simply. It was obvious that they were from the countryside. Gu Zheng and Taotie were dressed very neatly. But how could such children be followed by such simple servants? It was really not a good match.
There were seven ranks in front of the Prime Minister's door. It was the same for great clans. If the master was good, the servants wouldn't be too bad.
After walking around, Gu Zheng understood the meaning of the gazes of the people around him. Their clothes were from before. There weren't any good fabrics on the road. He would ask Wu You to buy some back and ask Aunt Cui to make new clothes for each of them. They couldn't continue to wear their old clothes after entering the city.
In the morning, Gu Zheng saw a few houses, but he was not satisfied.
They were either too small or too broken. Gu Zheng didn't want to spend a lot of time renovating them. He wanted a house that he could live in directly and didn't need to be renovated. It was the most worry-free.
"Young master, you're back!"
As soon as he returned to the inn, Gu Zheng saw Wang Wuwu sitting in front of the inn with a depressed face. Aunt Cui and the others were also there. They all looked sad. When they saw Gu Zheng, they immediately greeted him.
"What's the matter?"
Gu Zheng frowned. Wang Wuwu didn't look good. His nose was bruised and his face was swollen. There was blood on his face. It was obvious that he had been beaten.
"Young master, it's like this. In the morning, Wu You took us to sell the carriage. However, before selling the carriage, we went to sell the ivory. He specially went to a few jewelry stores. He knew that the ivory was good stuff, especially since young master polished it so well. He wanted to sell it for a good price. However, he didn't expect that when he went to the third store, the people there slandered Wu You, saying that the ivory was stolen by Wu You. Wu You argued with them and was beaten by them. I ran quickly and ran out. Wu You and Third Brother were detained by them!"
Wang Wuwu said quickly. In fact, he hadn't been back for long. However, he obviously didn't have any experience. Since he ran back, he should hide first. He was still sitting in front of the door. When people chased after him, they didn't know all about him.
"How are Wu You and Wang Wuwu now?"
Gu Zheng asked first. Wang Wuwu thought for a moment and said, "They were caught by them as thieves. I don't know the details!"
"Well, let's go. You lead the way. Let's go!"
Gu Zheng sighed. He didn't want to cause trouble. He wanted to live quietly in the city and cultivate. However, when he didn't cause trouble, others provoked him. When Gu Zheng heard this, he knew that Wu You had met a scoundrel. Seeing that their things were good and Wu You's clothes, they knew that Wu You had just entered the city. Therefore, they had bad intentions.
This was also a mistake on Gu Zheng's part. He should have changed them into good clothes.
No matter what time it was, there were many people who judged people by their appearance.
"Good!"
Wang Wuwu immediately stood up and led the way. His face was still full of anger. When the young master arrived, he must teach the people in the shop a lesson. These people actually dared to rob their things. They were simply tired of living.
He didn't think that if it wasn't for Gu Zheng, they could only suffer this loss. It was already good enough that they could save them. However, without Gu Zheng, they wouldn't have such ivory.
The place wasn't far. After a while, Wang Wuwu arrived with Gu Zheng. There were already many people in front of the shop. Before they got close, Gu Zheng's face turned cold.
Wu You and Wang Wuwu were actually hung up by them in front of the door. Their faces were full of blood. Their heads were pressed against the door. No one knew how they were doing.
Many people around them were pointing at them, saying that they were thieves and so on.
"Mado, put them down!"
Gu Zheng's cold voice came. Mado trembled slightly and immediately brought Wang Wuwu and the other two forward. He wanted to put down Wu You and Wang Wuwu. However, there were two people watching Wu You and Wang Wuwu. These eight people instantly wrestled with each other.
"Bang, bang bang!"
Mado and the others didn't bring knives. These people in the shop had weapons. Seeing that they were going to be at a disadvantage, Gu Zheng stepped forward and sent them all flying with a few kicks.
The four shop assistants were lying there and wailing. Gu Zheng had a sense of propriety. They wouldn't die, but they couldn't escape punishment. Their bones were broken and they would have to recuperate for a few months.
This was the result of Gu Zheng noticing that Wu You and Wang Wuwu didn't die and were only injured. If anything happened to them, Gu Zheng would probably start a massacre.
"Who, who's causing trouble?"
A young man walked out of the shop. He looked to be about 17 or 18 years old. As soon as he came out, Wang Wu immediately pointed at him and said, "It's him. He said that we're thieves and stole our ivory!"
"So it's you, the thief, and you have helpers. Good, this time I'll catch all of you!"
The young man saw Wang Wu and laughed. He called out and seven or eight people ran out of the shop. They had many people and weren't afraid at all. However, he didn't think about how his four subordinates had been sent flying and why they hadn't gotten up yet.
Before the seven or eight people who rushed out could do anything, they felt their vision blur and they were sent flying again.
Mado and Wang Wu went forward and carefully put down Wu You and Wang San. Gu Zheng didn't care about the young man and went forward to check. Fortunately, they were all superficial injuries. Wu You had a broken rib and Wang San's arm was broken. They would recover after recuperating and wouldn't leave any major problems.
Gu Zheng was relieved that the two of them were fine. He raised his head and looked at the young man.
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